A large variety of stationary walking or stair stepping type exercise devices are known in the art. With conventional treadmill or stair stepping machines and exercise devices, a person who uses a device steps up and down often on pedals, platforms or belts that mechanically activate hydraulic, coiled, leaf, bellows type springs, rollers and the like for creating resistance to each downward step. These devices isolate specific motions that the limbs can make under resistance. The directed motion of most devices prevents the foot stepping down on the devices for making micro-adjustments that develop the ability to balance. Walking and running on most environmental surfaces may place the foot and leg tissues at risk of injury due to compression or impact. Once injured, the tissues are even more sensitive to compression and impact during additional vigorous aerobic activities. Further vigorous exercise is often postponed to allay risks of further injury. Stresses on tissues can be reduced by conducting exercises under water, where the water provides fluid resistance through a fall range of motion. However, water exercise devices can be inconvenient and/or expensive to operate and use.
It is an object of this invention to provide an exercise device for exercising the legs and lower body muscles of a person, with minimized risk of joint and soft tissue injury.
Still another object of this invention is to provide an exercise device in accordance with the preceding objects which also provides exercise to the upper body and hands of a user while allowing excellent aerobic exercise for stamina and cardiovascular improvements which may be possible even if existing weakness or injury prevents other activities such as walking or running.
Still another object of this invention is to provide an exercise device in accordance with one or more. of the previous objects, which device provides a fluid pressure enabled by a stair-stepping action of the body to act in conjunction with an elastic membrane so that a stepping down action causes a stepping up action in an alternate foot of a body and vice versa.
According to the invention an exercise device for supporting a left and right foot of the user and allowing alternate successive raising and lowering action of each foot for exercise of said user, has a first elastic membrane portion and a second elastic membrane portion in position to closely support the left and right foot of the user respectively, above the ground. A support structure for the first and second membrane portions allows raising and lowering movement of the right and left foot in a stair-stepping action to elastically stretch the membrane portions in succession and allow return to the original condition. A confined fluid underlies the first and second membrane portions which fluid is displaced by stretching of each membrane portion. Preferably the fluid is contained in chambers under the first and second elastic membrane portions and shifted from beneath one portion to the other and vice versa in successive raising and lowering of each foot of the user in a stair stepping action.
In the preferred embodiment, the fluid is air although it can be other gasses, water, other liquids or a gel.
In still another embodiment, the chambers under the first and second elastic membrane portions can be bladders and in some cases the membranes themselves can form a portion of the bladders. In the preferred embodiment, the fluid is transferred from one chamber or bladder to another underlying the membrane portions so that downward pressure of one foot will cause upward pressure on the other foot and vice versa as the body of the user acts in a stair stepping manner.
In still another embodiment, the exercise device of this invention includes a left and right hand gripping structure to provide for balance of the body when the feet are on the first and second membrane portions. In one embodiment, the left and right hand gripping structure has hand grips which move reciprocally from front to rear of the body allowing a sliding motion of the hands to provide upper body exercise over a wide range of motion as opposed to a stationary hand-gripping structure.
In a method of this invention, an individual""s feet are positioned in contact with the surface of a first and second elastic membrane portion which first and second elastic membrane portions are supported above fluid chambers interconnected with each other. The exercise device is then actuated by the downward and reactive upward pressure on the feet of the user in a number of successive up and down leg motions while the user preferably holds a hand-gripping portion to provide exercise in accordance with the present invention.
It is a feature of this invention that the device can be used barefoot to maximize the gentle elastic pressure of the membrane portions or can be used with shoes. Preferably, the device is used barefoot or with foot surface conforming materials such as socks on the foot. The foot being cradled in the stretching membrane allows a wide range of motion. Correction for the fluid nature of the surface develops the ability to use small muscles in the foot to maintain balance. Hand grips can be mounted on rails to further support and balance the body. The flexible resistance of the fluid beneath the membrane supports the body as does water while swimming. The use of a stationary or moveable hand grips provide a wide range of upper body motion in use of the exercise device of this invention to vary the body exercise. The exercise devices of this invention can be low cost, pleasing to the eye and easily stored and moved in the home or elsewhere. The exercise devices can be used by children as well as adults providing family fun, exercise and fitness in what can be entry level or advanced exercise low cost devices.